Thorns of The Fiery Rose
by Lady Leizel
Summary: Hitomi makes a drastic decision after sending herself home halfway through the series, resulting in her friend Kia going back in her place! Completely rewritten! YAY!


Disclaimer: I would be lying if I said I owned Escaflowne.

Chapter One:

A/N: *waves* Hey, LL here. Let me explain this ficcy. See, originally, I wrote this into a story of some 13 chapters or so. But no one seemed to really like it, and I found myself stuck time after time. So, I decided to rewrite it all. Everything. Kia's different; The way she gets to Gaea is different; Kia's link to Dilly (yes, this is a Dilly fic, if you don't like it then shoo) is different… the relationships are basically the same, though, if that helps. Anyway, reviews are muchly appreciated, so please R&R, thanks a million, LL ^.~

Dedicated to my dear friend X Archon, who encouraged me to rewrite this. 

_All I want to do is disappear; just fade away…_

Give in to the night and block out the day

Become lost in the ebony skies,

Like the moon reflected in his eyes.

"I can't believe she's gone…why did she leave me?" Kia Landon felt the words slip from between her lips as she clutched at her head in her hands. Her raven hair spilled down over her face and clung to her tear-stained cheeks. Her nails, French manicured by her best friend only a few days before, drew long red lines along the flesh of her cheeks. She withdrew her nails from her face and wrapped her arms around her knees, shivering not from the cool, evening ocean breeze of Goza Shirahama Beach, but from the coldness that ate away at her insides. The numbness had started the second her friend's eyes had closed, and ate away at her like an empty hunger.

Her swollen eyes opened, watching as the sun disappeared below the horizon. The ocean looked like a million glittering diamonds scattered across sapphire silk. Above it, the puffy summer clouds were tinted astonishing shades of brilliant fuchsia, striking orange, gold and a lilac that mimicked the teary irises of the girl sitting atop a small rock a few steps into the water.

She was still dressed in her fuku. She had always hated it; it was beige. How she had always hated beige. Only one girl she had ever known at her high school to be able to pull off the horrible color scheme had been her friend…

"Hitomi" the word slipped through her slightly parted lips with her heavy sigh. She gasped a little at hearing her friend's name aloud. How she missed her.

The ebony-haired teenager had spent the bulk of her life living in far-off England with her father. Her mother, Ai Uweda, who had met her father during a student exchange, had died when a thief had tried to rob their house while Kia and her father had gone out, and had been shot multiple times. Her father, devastated by the loss of his wife, had jumped into the turbulent ocean near the small town in which they had lived. Underage and without a guardian to take care of her, Kia was forced to leave her country to live in far-off Japan with her grandparents.

But, even though she had been welcomed with open arms to her grandparents, Kia hadn't felt at home in Japan. That is, until she had met Hitomi. Luckily for her, she met the emerald-eyed girl on her first day, when she noticed her doing Tarot readings and had decided to join the gaggle of girls surrounding the light brown haired girl. 

The two had bonded instantly, becoming almost as close as Hitomi and Yukari. Kia had found a kindred spirit in Hitomi; she seemed unhappy with her surroundings, unsatisfied with what life had dealt her; her happy face was a mask meant to quash the feelings of sadness and to hide it from others. Kia felt a link with this girl. 

But everything had changed yesterday. 

_~Flashback~_

Kia had been studying in the comfort of her kotatsu, when the phone had rung.

"Moshi-Moshi" 

"Kia? Is that you?" A frantic voice nearly cried into her ear. Kia gasped "Hitomi? Are you okay?" 

"No, I'm not. Kia, I need to see you; I've done something terrible." Hitomi had barely enough time to finish her sentence before Kia was flying out the door. She sped to her friend's house, barely acknowledging Hitomi's mother as she dashed up into her friend's bedroom. And the sight that was before stopped her dead in her tracks, clinging to the doorframe for support. 

Hitomi was slumped over her desk, a large pool of blood at her feet, dripping down from her crossed arms. "Hitomi! What did you do?!" Kia gasped, snatching her friends arms and observing the vertical cuts lining her pale skin. 

"I couldn't handle it Kia…they were all fighting over me; Me! Why does everyone have to fight, Kia? Why can't Van and everyone just be happy? Why can't I be happy with Van? I never told him…" her glassy eyes locked onto Kia's own lilac ones, and she held up her pendant, her blood hiding the soft pink color of the gem.

"Go to Gaea, Kia. Give this to Van. Tell him I love him…tell him I'm sorry…" 

Kia gasped "what are you talking about Hitomi? Who's Van?" The emerald-eyes girl smiled weakly.

"He was the only person I ever truly loved. I couldn't tell him though, Kia. I was too afraid, too childish to admit to my feelings. He fought for me, nearly went mad fighting for me, and I couldn't take it anymore. So I sent myself back. I came home…"

"Hitomi, you're delusional. You haven't gone anywhere. I saw you yesterday, I saw you at school today…I checked up on you while you were in the infirmary. You haven't gone anywhere Hitomi. You stayed right here." 

"No, no. Maybe my body stayed here, but my heart is on Gaea… with him." Hitomi sighed, laying her head on her arms. Kia crouched beside her "Hitomi…what are you talking about?" Hitomi's emerald eyes locked onto her lilac ones, and Kia saw something twinkle in them she'd never seen before.

"Remember the other night? When I went to the track with Ukari?" a nod " I did something… I asked Amano if he would kiss me if I could run around the track in under thirteen swings of my pendant…" she trailed off, sighing heavily. Kia shook her a little "go on.."

"My pendant started to glow… and he appeared. Van. Him and a horrible creature…a dragon. He was fighting a dragon. He killed it, and got sent back, and I got taken back with him."

"Back to where?" 

Hitomi's eyes moved to the sky portrayed through her window, growing dark in the evening, and Kia couldn't help but think that Hitomi saw something there that she didn't. 

"Gaea"

"Huh? What?" "Gaea. Van's world. It's like an invisible moon, orbiting Earth… Van lives there…he's waiting for me…but I can't go to him." She stopped and shook her head a little "there was a war on Gaea, with Van at the forefront. My pendant…it let me see the future. I was a key, people fought over me. _Me!_ Van fought for me and nearly drove himself insane, and I couldn't handle it. I couldn't make Van hurt, not anymore. I hurt…Van hurt…everyone hurt…and it was all my fault. So I came home…came home to make everything right. But I never told Van how I felt. Tell him for me Kia, tell Van I'm sorry." 

She thrust her pendant into Kia's hands.

"Go Kia" she shuddered "don't tell my mom. Take the text and tell her you had to pick it up." Kia gingerly picked up the Geography text Hitomi had motioned to and rose uncertainly, moving to the door. She really didn't know what to do, other than follow Hitomi's words. Her hand started to turn the knob and

"Kia?"

"Yes Hitomi?"

"If I'm truly your best friend, you won't tell her. This is what I want…please let me be happy Kia. I never was until I met him, and now I want to go and wait for him…"

For reasons Kia didn't understand, she nodded "I promise" she had nearly closed the door behind her "Hitomi? How will I know Van when I see him?"

Hitomi's nearly lifeless eyes glittered at the thought of him "you'll know Van when you see him Kia" she ensured, and Kia closed the door behind her.

_~ End Flashback ~ _

And so that's how she found herself here, sitting atop a small rock, her feet damp with the spray of the ocean, clinging tightly to Hitomi's pendant; her last remaining link to her friend. 

She felt a fresh batch of tears form in her eyes and sobbed lightly. She extended her arm out lightly, allowing the pendant to dangle from her fist, catching what remained of the daylight in it's shining gem. Catching with the light of the setting sun, Kia swore the pendant was aglow with light. A golden light she could only assume came from the fiercely brilliant sun seemed to be emitted from the gem, making her shield her eyes.

The light was nearly blinding within a moment, and Kia could swear that there were waves of warmth emanating from the little pink jewel. She shut her eyes tightly, shielding them wither her free hand. The light was so bright, the air around her so warm. 

She suddenly felt as though she was being pulled up into the air by some unseen force, and the light getting brighter and warmer. It was white hot, the air moving quickly. Kia dared not open her eyes, for the light too bright and the wind current too strong. It felt almost comforting, in a strange way, the warmth light reminding her of the rays of sunlight that inevitably were just that; rays of light. Or so she thought, before a sharp blow to her head caused the light to recede away to nothing but blackness.

A/N: Well? Is this any better of a start? I much prefer it. Please, R&R and let me know if I should continue! Dilly in the next chapter!


End file.
